The 18th Amendment of the Constitution banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. This Amendment closed saloons, taverns, and clubs all throughout the United States. It was a "noble experiment" that failed. Although the number of alcohol related deaths went down, there weren't as many accidents related to alcohol (in some areas), and a lot of people did stop drinking.
It is said that this is the law that was broken the most. After the Amendment went into effect the desire for alcohol grew more and more. The alcohol had to be consumed privately, out of the eye of the law. This is when the underground bar was born. They could not call it the bar because they had to keep it secret, so they called it the "Speakeasy." To get into a Speakeasy you had to have a password, know a handshake, or know the secret knock.
The price of each drink skyrocketed. Before the drinks used to cost around a nickle, but after the Amendment they costed around 50 cents. Most of the liquor was poor quality or watered down. So the "cocktails" became very popular. Right before the 1920's women had gained the right to vote, they wanted their freedom so they stopped wearing corsetts and loosened up. Women became known as "flappers," they wore short skirts and they wore their hair in a bob. They started to smoke and drink cocktails.
Some said that as soon as saloon closed down it was replaced by half a dozen speakeasies. At one time it was said that there were 100,000 speakeasies in New York alone, 10 times the as many before the amendment in New Jersey, this became the same all over the country.
It is said that this is the law that was broken the most. After the Amendment went into effect the desire for alcohol grew more and more. The alcohol had to be consumed privately, out of the eye of the law. This is when the underground bar was born. They could not call it the bar because they had to keep it secret, so they called it the "Speakeasy." To get into a Speakeasy you had to have a password, know a handshake, or know the secret knock.
The price of each drink skyrocketed. Before the drinks used to cost around a nickle, but after the Amendment they costed around 50 cents. Most of the liquor was poor quality or watered down. So the "cocktails" became very popular. Right before the 1920's women had gained the right to vote, they wanted their freedom so they stopped wearing corsetts and loosened up. Women became known as "flappers," they wore short skirts and they wore their hair in a bob. They started to smoke and drink cocktails.
Some said that as soon as saloon closed down it was replaced by half a dozen speakeasies. At one time it was said that there were 100,000 speakeasies in New York alone, 10 times the as many before the amendment in New Jersey, this became the same all over the country.
These are men drinking at one of the Speakeasies.
A police raid.